Lewis, who eventually pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and received12 months' probation, was besieged by hundreds of reporters all week about theincident. He was criticized by the national media for not showing remorse.

The Ravens saw the irony in the game's most vilified player finishing asits hero.

"It's only fitting," tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "You might not likesome of the things he's said or you might not like the person that he is, butyou can't argue with his talent. The guy is the best player in football rightnow. But the scary thing is that he's only 25 years old."

The NFL's Defensive Player of the Year chimed in with his rebuttal for allthose critics.

Lewis' impact extended beyond his statistics. He was credited with fivetackles, tying his season low.

The centerpiece of the Ravens' record-setting defense established therelentless tone early. In the first quarter, the New York Giants couldn'tavoid Lewis, who deflected two passes and made three tackles.

But when the Ravens became the third defense not to surrender points in theSuper Bowl (with Miami in 1973 and Pittsburgh in 1975), the lasting image wasthe impenetrable Lewis.

"There is no feeling like this right now," Lewis said. "If I could expressit, it wouldn't be a true feeling. My body is tingling right now."

Still, was Lewis upset the special teams allowed the 97-yard kickoff returnby Ron Dixon in the third quarter that shattered the defense's campaign for ashutout?